


Not A D8

by LittleBird20



Category: Homestuck
Genre: 1950s Diner, AU, Cute, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Ice Cream Parlors, but everybody is peaceful now, everyone is being a cute dork, rival gangs, watch out for terezi's riddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 10:19:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1775557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBird20/pseuds/LittleBird20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>1950s Diner AU. John and Vriska are definitely not on a date...or are they?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not A D8

As was usual for a Friday night, Vantas Diner was packed, kids from both sides of town mixing in groups at their common place to hang out. Turf wars were few and far between ever since the son of the restaurant’s owner took a liking to John Egbert, the son of the proprietor of the upscale ice cream shop across town. Though the two had never worked out romantically, they had remained friends ever since. And both the Diner and Egbert’s Delights became places where members of both groups could come to hang out with whomever they pleased and not have to worry about getting jumped in the parking lot by the rival gang after they all dispersed for the night. 

This truce was being put through its toughest test that night as the aforementioned John led a girl – who was from about the worst place on the “wrong” side of the tracks a girl could be from – to a booth in the back corner full of his friends. This girl, whose unruly black hair was smoothed into a halfhearted attempt at a ponytail and whose skirt featured dark blue and black polka dots, did not seem to fit in with either group. Even the kids who lived in the apartment houses near the Diner brought out the bright colors when they knew they would be hanging out with those “preppy” kids from up town. And some of those “preppy” kids had taken a liking to the more somber tones of the others. Especially that Strider character who loitered around the Diner’s back corner booth more than anyone, always sporting a dark pair of sunglasses no matter the weather. His clothes were always dark, the only color bright splashes of red on his tie or t-shirt designs. 

He was there now as John and the girl made their way past tables crowded with kids, his ever present shades perched firmly on his face. Rose LaLonde, another goody-two-shoes, was also there, engaged in a heated discussion about some aspect of philosophy with Terezi Pyrope. The two had bonded over their hatred of an introductory course on the subject at the community college and could now be found in debate nearly every time they hung out. The final member of the table was Karkat, the owner’s son. He merely scowled as John brought the girl over and introduced her, but did nothing more to indicate he was looking for a fight. He suspected – and rightly so – that members of both groups would more than likely turn on him if he upset the balance that had been created. The rival gangs were quickly growing used to being civil to one another and even beginning to like each other and it was almost untruthful to even call them rival gangs anymore. But they still referred to themselves as such to keep up appearances. 

So the young Vantas, despite his displeasure at John’s new fling, did nothing more than sulk quietly to himself about it. 

“Hey, everyone,” John greeted as he took and seat and gestured for the girl to slide in next to him. “How’s it going?”

Karkat made an effort to be polite and responded with “not much,” before he went back to scowling darkly into his lap. Dave merely gave a tip of his shades to indicate he was still chill. The two girls waved their hands impatiently in his direction, not wanting to break their debate to greet their friend. John chuckled at the typical gestures, though he did shoot a look of concern at Karkat that the other couldn’t see. It wasn’t like him to be so quiet. 

“I brought Vriska along this evening,” John continued, gesturing to the girl next to him and smiling. She waved hello to everyone at the table, though she already knew Terezi since they were neighbors. “Can I get anyone anything?” 

The offer of food finally forced Terezi and Rose to call their debate a draw and interact with the others at the table. Terezi greeted Vriska, managing to pull the girl out of her shell a little as the two of them laughed over a prank they had pulled on the grumpy old man who lived on the floor below them. Once they explained the story and got everyone laughing, the ice seemed to break, even Dave chiming in once or twice. 

John soon got orders from everyone and got up to go place them. “Rose,” he called as he walked over to the counter, “could you come help me carry all this back?”

“Sure,” she responded, getting up and walking over to him. He smiled at her as they moved off. 

Terezi noticed Vriska give a little, forlorn sigh and moved over to talk to her, leaving Karkat and Dave to argue over whatever it was they always seemed to argue about. Music, probably. 

“So how’s the date going?” she asked, lowering her glasses to peer closely at her friend.

“It’s not a date,” Vriska responded, almost automatically. “We are just friends.” 

Terezi chuckled. “Of course, of course,” she said. “But then why,” she paused to sniff in the other girl’s direction, “does it smell like a date?”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Vriska asked flatly. 

“It means that even though you swear it’s not a date, it sure smells like one.”

“I am not in the mood for your shitty riddles, tonight, Terezi.” 

The other girl chuckled again and pushed her glasses back up her nose. “I’m just saying you never wear perfume, Vriska. So why do you got it on tonight?” She sat back, pleased with her deductions. 

The other girl, flushed, but only slightly. “That’s none of your damn business,” she retorted. “Besides, he probably doesn’t even think of me that way.” She looked over to where John and Rose were standing by the diner’s counter, talking as they waited for the cook to make everyone’s food. As she watched, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and she smiled at him again. 

Terezi noticed her gaze. “I wouldn’t worry about Rose,” she assured her friend. Vriska rolled her eyes at her and she dropped the topic. 

John and Rose soon returned with everyone’s food and slight chaos ensued as they tried to hand the right items to the right people. Once everything was settled, he gestured to Vriska to come over to him. 

Confused but intrigued, she scooted out of the booth and joined him. “I want to show you something,” he explained, reaching down to take her hand. 

He kept their fingers intertwined as he led her through the maze of booths and tables to a loveseat and coffee table tucked away in the back corner. It was quieter here without the constant noise of kids talking and the music blaring from the jukebox. There was already a dish of ice cream – her favorite flavor, blue moon – on the low table, complete with two spoons. 

“John, why did you do all this?” she asked. 

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Heheh, well, I wanted to do something special for you. In case I was being a bit of mumbling jerk earlier, I was in fact asking you out on a date. You know, in case you didn’t get that.” 

She hadn’t gotten that, actually. He had been stammering and mumbling, that she finally took pity on the poor guy and agreed to whatever it was he wanted her to do at the Diner later that night. “You don’t have to say things that aren’t true, John,” she said. 

“But it is true!” he protested. “You just made me so nervous with how your sweater matched the blue of your eyes and your windswept hair looking all crazy that I just wanted to kiss you right then, but then I figured you might punch me or something so I decided to do the gentlemanly thing and – mmpf!” She grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him down so she could press a kiss to his lips just to stop his pointless – if humorous – rambling. 

“There,” she smiled wickedly up at him. “Now that we’ve done that, we can keep pretending this is a date if you want. But just so you know, next time I expect to be asked out with a lot more finesse than that, Egbert!” 

He was still looking at her a little shell-shocked as he gestured for her to sit down and followed suit. They were so close their knees were almost touching and Vriska wasn’t sure she would be able to eat, let alone carry on a conversation with him when all she could focus on was the electric current between them.

But somehow, she managed to do just that. They talked for hours, about anything and everything. About how Terezi really needed to get some knew material for her riddles, how Dave needed to get over himself and lose the shades. They laughed about Karkat and his anger management issues, but John assured her that he was a really good guy deep down. They both agreed that since the two “rival” gangs had stopped being such hardcore “rivals” that town seemed a safer place to live. 

She never wanted the night to end. But eventually, the Diner closed and John had to drive her home. His hand rested on her knee the whole way there and she felt like she was floating. 

After a breathless kiss on her front porch that left her wanting more, she retired upstairs to her room. 

Tonight was definitely not a date,” she wrote in her journal. “But if it was, it was the best date I’ve ever been on.” 

And despite the fact that her face was still flushed and she hated herself a little for how corny she was being, she sighed as she rolled over to stare at her ceiling, unable to keep the grin off her face.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone was not too out of character! I haven't even finished Act Five yet but I really love these two as a couple and needed to get my feelings out somehow. Please comment if you liked it (or even if you didn't)!


End file.
